Kath Scanlon is Distinguished Policy Fellow at LSE London. She has a wide range of research interests including comparative housing policy (across all tenures–social and private rented housing as well as owner-occupation), comparative mortgage finance, and migration.

Her research is grounded in economics but also draws on techniques and perspectives from other disciplines including geography and sociology, and aims at improving the evidence base for policy decisions at national or local level.

Since 2015 she has focused on ways of accelerating new housing development in London, looking at a range of solutions from cohousing and other collaborative approaches to the potential of large-scale private rented schemes. She recently edited an authoritative book on Social Housing in Europe (Wiley, 2014).

Kath has worked with a number of national and international institutions including the Council of Europe Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and Denmark’s Realdania foundation. She has lived and worked in the USA, Spain, Denmark, Yugoslavia, Kuwait and Peru, and speaks Spanish, Italian, Serbian, Danish and a bit of French.

Expertise: housing finance; housing policy; urban policy

LSE Consulting projects:

• The Value, Incidence and Impact of Developer Contributions in Scotland
  July 2021
  
  Client: Scottish Government
  Authors: Fanny Blanc, John Boyle, Tony Crook, Kath Scanlon, Stefano Smith & Christine Whitehead

• The Cost of Homelessness Services in London
  September 2019
  
  Client: London Councils
  Authors: Kath Scanlon & Christine Whitehead (with Annie Edge & Chihiro Udagawa)

• Barriers to acceptance of housing offers by families in temporary accommodation
  June 2019
  
  Client: Camden Council
  Authors: Kath Scanlon & Fanny Blanc (with Alex Fernandez, Ignacio Franco-Vega, Irene Frassoldati,Tiffany Lam & Lisa-Marie Bowles)

• The Bank of Mum and Dad: How it really works
  January 2019
  
  Client: Family Building Society
  Authors: Kath Scanlon & Fanny Blanc (with Annie Edge & Christine Whitehead)

• The Future Size and Composition of the Private Rented Sector
  May 2018
  
  Client: Shelter
  Authors: Chihiro Udagawa, Kath Scanlon & Christine Whitehead

• Is Stamp Duty Land Tax Suffocating the English Housing Market?
  November 2017
  
  Client: Family Building Society
  Authors: Kath Scanlon, Christine Whitehead & Fanny Blanc

• The Role of Overseas Investors in the London New-build Residential Market
  May 2017
  
  Client: Greater London Authority
  Authors: Kath Scanlon, Christine Whitehead & Fanny Blanc with Ulises Moreno-Tabarez

• Unlocking the Benefits and Potential of Build to Rent
  February 2017
  
  Client: Savills
  Authors: Christine Whitehead & Kath Scanlon

• Making the Most of Build to Rent
  January 2017
  
  Client: Future of London
  Authors: Kath Scanlon

• The Profile of UK Private Landlords 
  December 2016
  
  Client: CML (Council of Mortgage Leaders)
  Authors: Kath Scanlon & Christine Whitehead

• State of the Nation 2016: Social Mobility in Great Britain (Chapter 5: Housing and Social Mobility)
  November 2016
  
  Client: Social Mobility Commission
  Author: Kath Scanlon

• New London Villages: Creating Community
  July 2016
  
  Client: Berkeley Homes
  Authors: Kath Scanlon, Emma Sagor, Christine Whitehead & Alessandra Mossa

• Taking Stock: Understanding the effects of recent policy measures on the private rented sector and Buy-to-Let
  May 2016
  
  Client: Paragon Group
  Authors: Kath Scanlon, Christine Whitehead & Peter Williams

• The Effect of Forthcoming Housing Policy Changes on Social-Tenant Employment and the London Economy
  March 2016
  
  Client: Camden Council
  Authors: Kath Scanlon, Christine Whitehead & Ann Edge

• Proposals for Regulation of the Private Rented Sector: An analysis
  January 2016
  
  Client: National Landlords Association
  Authors: Kath Scanlon & Christine Whitehead

• Living at Saffron Square
  2016
  
  Client: Berkeley Homes
  Author: Kath Scanlon & Max Walmsley

• The Potential Role of the Private Rented Sector in Wales
  September 2015
  
  Client: Public Policy Institute for Wales
  Authors: Kath Scanlon & Christine Whitehead

• The Wider Benefits of Investment in Cultural Heritage: Case studies in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia
  January 2015
  
  Client: Council of Europe
  Authors: Will Bartlett, Kath Scanlon, Christine Whitehead, Nina Branković, Hristina Mikić, Nermin Oruć & Bojan Zečević

• The Impact of the Financial Crisis on European Housing Systems: A Review
  May 2014
  
  Client: Sieps
  Authors: Christine Whitehead, Kath Scanlon & Jens Lunde

• The Private Rented Sector in the New Century: A Comparative Approach
  September 2012
  
  Client: Cambridge Enterprise Ltd
  End Client: Knowledge Centre for Housing Economics
  Authors:Christine Whitehead, Sarah Monk, Kath Scanlon, Sanna Markkanen & Connie Tang